"I thought I could really handle it, but when you lose him, it's different," she said.

During MacArthur's decline in health, Geraldine turned to the Family and Children's Association for help and resources on how to cope with his illness.

When they heard of his passing, they decided now is the time to demonstrate what Valentine's Day is really all about.

"And I didn't even think about the sad time I was going through. My life just lit up. I love love. And that's what I needed. It was a lot of love today," she said.

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Valentine's Day 2016 around the world

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Kids pull off heartwarming Valentine's surprise for grieving widow

BINZHOU, CHINA - FEBRUARY 14: (CHINA OUT) A couple kiss at a lantern show to celebrate Valentine's Day on February 14, 2016 in Binzhou, China. (Photo by ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images)

NANJING, CHINA - FEBRUARY 14: (CHINA OUT) A woman sells roses in a box in the street on February 14, 2016 in Nanjing, China. (Photo by ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images)

A woman slips a ring on the finger of her partner during a mock wedding as part of a Valentine's Day event, organized by the Homosexual Liberation and Integration Movement, in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Feb 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

Iraqis celebrate Valentine's Day at al-Zawra Park in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016. The city is plastered with Valentine hearts and roses, and Iraqis are enjoying a rare lull in violence but wondering how long it will last. Despite recent setbacks, the Islamic State group is still dug in west of Baghdad, and increasingly powerful Shiite militias patrol the streets. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Two stingrays swim along a diver carrying heart-shaped treats specially for them as he feeds fish at Sunshine Aquarium during a special Valentine's Day event in Tokyo on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Iraqis celebrate Valentine's Day at al-Zawra Park in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016. The city is plastered with Valentine hearts and roses, and Iraqis are enjoying a rare lull in violence but wondering how long it will last. Despite recent setbacks, the Islamic State group is still dug in west of Baghdad, and increasingly powerful Shiite militias patrol the streets. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Iraqis celebrate Valentine's Day at al-Zawra Park in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016. The city is plastered with Valentine hearts and roses, and Iraqis are enjoying a rare lull in violence but wondering how long it will last. Despite recent setbacks, the Islamic State group is still dug in west of Baghdad, and increasingly powerful Shiite militias patrol the streets. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

A boy takes a photo with a mobile phone of a man posing in front of a giant heart-shaped bouquet display by a vendor to attract customers on Valentine's Day, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016. Celebrating Valentine's Day is considered un-Islamic by some in Pakistan, but many still buy flowers and exchange gifts with others. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

People surround a green heart made of small branches to expressing their feelings towards the Bialowieza forest, considered the last primeval forest on the European plain, during an event on Valentine's Day, in Warsaw, Poland, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016. The new Polish government plans to increase the volume of tree cutting in the Bialowieza forest. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz)

Muslim students display posters during a protest against Valentine's Day in Banda Aceh, Aceh province, Indonesia, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. Dozens of students staged the protest calling on Muslims to avoid the celebration of the western holiday, saying that it's against Islamic teachings and could lead to forbidden sexual relations. (AP Photo/Heri Juanda)

LED light roses are lit up at the âLight Rose Gardenâ, against the backdrop of Central, the business district of Hong Kong, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. âLight Rose Garden" is originated from South Korea, an art installation project featuring 25,000 white roses made of LED lights for Valentineâs Day. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Four newlywed couples from left, Jintara Promachat and Kittinant Suwansiri , Kasemsak Jiranantiporn and Duangruethai, Thipilindhra Chidee and Laddawal Chidee, British David Leslie Chesterman and Charunee Koydun run away from a giant flower ball as a part of an adventure-themed wedding ceremony in Ratchaburi Province, Thailand, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016, on the eve of Valentine's Day. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 14: Jolyon Orane proposes to Alexis Mendoza during Valentine's Day engagements at Rockefellar Center at Rockefeller Center on February 14, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Santiago Felipe/Getty Images)

LOVELAND SKI AREA, CO - FEBRUARY 14: Tucker Brown and his wife Karyn, right, get a photo taken at around 12,000 feet at Loveland ski area before the 25th annual Mountaintop Matrimony Valentine's day wedding ceremony on February 14, 2016 at the Loveland Ski area near Georgetown, Colorado. The couple were married here in 2007 and have come back every year except for three to renew their vows. The ceremony was held at Ptarmigan Roost cabin at the top of Ptarmigan lift. Approximately 100 couples got married or renewed their vows with minister Harry Heilmann, of the Universal Life Church, overseeing the ceremony. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

MANILA, METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES - 2016/02/14: Members of a pro-life group give away candies in exchange for condoms at the Dangwa flower market in Manila, Philippines on Valentine's Day. Valentines Day is celebrated on February 14 every year. (Photo by Richard James M. Mendoza/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

PARIS, FRANCE - FEBRUARY 14: Love Graffitis are seen in the 6th quarter of Paris during Valentine's Day on February 14, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Edward Berthelot/Getty Images)

SOUTH AFRICA, CAPE TOWN - FEBRUARY 14: 16 couples arrive Garrison church at Robben Island for their marriage ceremony during the Valentine's Day, in Cape Town, South Africa on February 14, 2016. (Photo by Ashraf Hendricks/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)